Restless legs

[lpmsjrb]

Hi, does anyone suffer with restless legs in bed? Sometimes it can keep me awake for hours.

[ellj]

Yes I do and it can be really horrible.

Some nights I am close to tears with it.

Perhaps try magnesium spray to rub on your legs before bed. It helps if you have low magnesium.

Ellie

[lpmsjrb in reply to ellj]

Thanks Ellie I’ll try that.

[Hidden]

Only thing I’ve found that works is magnesium spray. You can buy a ready made one online but I made my own with boiled water and magnesium flakes to make a saturated solution.

I spray it on my calves and soles of my feet, massage in then wipe off with a damp cloth. It’s absorbed very quickly through the skin.

[lpmsjrb in reply to Hidden]

Thanks I will try that.

[Nackapan in reply to lpmsjrb]

I found raising my ferritin levels helped

[Nackapan]

I found raising my ferritin levels helped as well as stopped me shaking

[Sleepybunny]

Hi,

Yes, I have RLS but usually it's confined to my feet and hands. If I go without B12 it spreads to other parts of my body eg legs, head etc.

I wondered if you are getting enough B12?

Have you had your iron levels and folate levels checked recently?

One neurologist I saw suggested that I avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Link about RLS

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

When symptoms were at their worst a few years ago, I found it helpful to sleep under heavy blankets, the sensation of something pressing down on my legs seemed to help.

I believe it is possible to buy weighted blankets although I haven't tried these myself.

Getting enough B12 is what helped me the most.

I have read that RLS is an issue related to dopamine levels and that B12 is a co-factor in dopamine production. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter.

Other articles about RLS

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

nhs.uk/conditions/restless-...

[pitney]

Yes it drives you up the wall, I sometimes walk on a cold tiled floor for a while and with luck it calms them down enough to be able to go to sleep

[Sunshine1932]

Yes I too get it but I find mine increases when I eat junk food (too much sugar) and here is a weird one, but hey life is bonkers. I find my restless legs or wherever it feels like being in my body is heightened when we are in the week up to a full moon.

I mean if the moon can affect the tide, why not our energy flow.

Oddly we are close to a full moon now. 🤔👍

I self inject once a week and couldn't be without it however I am learning not to blame everything on lack of b12. We have to take responsibility for our wellbeing physically, mentally and spiritually.

[Kate1914]

Hi, I also do - I'm on tablets from the GP (citalopram) sadly these are "hit or miss" on working some nights. I have found a bath can help plus sleeping in the spare room thus saving on the comments regarding moving around too much

[Tonyworks]

Hi, I had RLS for about 4 years and tried everything but nothing worked. I do have b12 injections since diagnosed PA in 2002. However a few months ago I found out that my ferritin level was very low. Have been on ferrous fuselage tablets and after a couple of months my RLS slowly disappeared.

I have since read that a higher ferritin level stops RLS. So insure your levels are always above 70ng/ml and even hither up to 300ng/ml.

Mine were 12 when started.

So high ferritin levels seem to keep RLS at bay!

I have 210mg twice a day. Don't know my level as I cannot get it tested at the moment.

Hope that helps. It is wonderful when it stops

[lpmsjrb in reply to Tonyworks]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll let you know how I get on.

[rosegrower]

Restless leg syndrome can be alleviated substantially by drugs such as ropinirole which are dopamine agonists. You may have to see a neurologist to clarify the diagnosis and cause. You should see your general practitioner and discuss it with him/her.

[Donnadancer]

Hi , yes i do ,mostly during the evening and then during the night , its a nightmare ! I have to get up and walk about , how is yours ? Does your b12 injection help ? Hope you feel better soon x

[lpmsjrb in reply to Donnadancer]

Hi, mine usually happens early evening and I can’t keep my feet still then when I go to bed I’m ok for the first hour then it wakes me up and my legs won’t stop. It’s so annoying. I had my B12 injection yesterday and ate a banana (I read it was due to low potassium) before going to bed and it didn’t happen last night. I have ordered some magnesium spray today since reading the comments on here. x